What is the difference between the “more” and “less” commands in Linux?

Both more and less are text file viewing tools in Linux, with the main difference being:

1. Function: The more command is the most basic page viewer, allowing users to view text files page by page, and can only flip forward; while the less command is an enhanced version of more, in addition to flipping forward, it can also flip backward, and supports more operations such as searching, editing, etc.
2. Display: The more command shows the content of one screen at a time. When the content exceeds one screen, you need to press the spacebar to view the next page. On the other hand, the less command automatically scrolls to display content as needed and allows for paging using the spacebar, enter key, arrow keys, and more.
3. Search: The more command does not support the search function, you can only search for a specific string by pressing the “/” key; whereas the less command supports searching within a file, and can use the “/” and “?” symbols for forward and backward searches.
4. The ‘more’ command does not support editing files, it only allows viewing file contents; while the ‘less’ command allows for direct editing while viewing files, by using the “v” key to invoke an external editor.

In conclusion, the less command is more powerful, flexible, and suitable for viewing and manipulating text files compared to the more command.